Make It End
Negativity In Robots
Though creatureness brings with it many an advantage, it also has some negative drawbacks. Negative thoughts, and to a further extend, depression and suicidalness are things many people encounter as part of creatureness, but most would gladly leave behind. Though it is disputed whether depression is a disease or an evolutionary effect, it is something which plays such a big part in life it can be considered part of creatureness. In the Netherlands about 1.2 million people are taking antidepressants, and depression has also been observed in animals, for example those in captivity.
How does depression show itself in robots then? While there have been many stories about robots commiting suicide, like the manchester fountain robot in 2017, these 'suicides' were usually caused by accidents and glitches, not actually a desire to die. A robot which comes closer to a robot wanting to die is the work Body Sculpture by Jordan Wolfson. This sculpture, displayed in the National Gallery of Australia, consist of a block with arms, which make various gestures, these include several suicidal gestures. Both more suicidal but also more abstract are the two suicide machines created by Thijs Rijkers, one of which tilts sand into its gearbox which grinds the gears down eventually breaking the gearbox and with it the machine.
For a truly depressed robot we have to look towards fiction. When the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation started experimenting with emotional robotics, they created a robot which had very high intelligence, but also a constant depression, and a continual pain in the diodes on its left side. This robot is ofcourse none other than Marvin the Paranoid Android. The exploits of Marvin are many throughout the books and radio series, but in all his depression comes forward.